According to recent estimates, over one million Americans suffer from ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These diseases are so similar that they are often mistaken for one another. Both inflame the lining of the digestive tract and cause severe bouts of watery diarrhea and abdominal pain. However, Crohn's disease can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, often spreading deep into the layers of affected tissues. In contrast, ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining (mucosa) of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.
IBD is especially common in older children and adolescents. Young patients are at particular risk for growth retardation, or for delay of sexual maturation. Moreover, given the length of time that these patients need treatment, they are susceptible to long-term complications from their medications.
IBD patients may experience a series of complications that affect the body beyond the intestinal tract. For example, patients with ulcerative colitis can develop severe arthritis, liver disease, kidney stones, gallstones and mouth ulcers that prohibit swallowing or eating.
The present invention provides biochemical markers that aid in determination of predisposition to and the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, determining treatment efficacy and provide for therapeutic agent discovery and development. The markers may distinguish classes of inflammatory bowel disease (e.g. Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, pouchitis), subtypes of Crohn's Disease (e.g., ileitis, ileocolitis, gastroduodenal CD, jejunoileitis, granulomatous) and distinguish inflammatory bowel disease from other gastrointestinal disorders or disorders presenting with similar clinical symptoms.